The last week of January has continued where the first three weeks of January started...warm! Anomalously warm
weather
and several record high temperatures were one of the biggest stories this week,
and is reflected in average
temperature departures across the region for the third week of January
(Figure
1).
Average daily mean temperatures for the final week of January
ranged
from near normal to 4°F above normal in southern Kentucky to
20°F above normal across north central Minnesota.
The remainder of the Midwest saw average daily temperature
departures between 8°F and 18°F above normal, with much of
Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and northern Illinois experiencing
departures greater than 10°F above average this week.

Precipitation for the
week was far more homogeneous across the Midwest than it has been
for the past several weeks. This week, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Iowa, and the upper peninsula
of Michigan
and much of western and northern Illinois experienced precipitation
surpluses ranging from 150 to 400% above normal, while much of Ohio and
eastern Kentucky saw generally less than 50% of the normal
precipitation (Figure
2).
Due to the warmer than average
temperatures again this week, precipitation was mainly in the
form of
rain, and the snow depth map on January 31 clearly shows the general lack of snow across the Midwest (Figure
3).
In addition, the total snowfall for the month of January is significantly lower than average (Figure 4).
Despite the welcome precipitation across portions of the Midwest
this week, large long-term precipitation deficits remain.
Consequently, there was little
change in
the drought status this week (Figure 5).

January Ends Like a Lion

On January 24, an area of deepening low pressure moved
southeast out of Canada, sweeping a cold front across the Midwest
(Figure 6). Very strong winds were associated with this area of
low pressure, and a host of wind advisories were posted across the
Midwest (Figure 7). A summary of the peak wind gusts are provided
in the following table:

Ames, IA

69 m.p.h.

Washington, IA

59 m.p.h.

Decatur, IL

56 m.p.h.

Fairfield, IA

55 m.p.h.

Champaign, IL

53 m.p.h.

Springfield, IL

52 m.p.h.

Waukesha, WI

49 m.p.h.

Milwaukee, WI

49 m.p.h.

Dexter, MN

48 m.p.h.

Mauston, WI

46 m.p.h.

Arlington, IA

46 m.p.h.

Across central Iowa, a man sitting in the lobby of the Polk
County Human Services building was injured when the wind dislodged a
plate glass window. In addition, a semi-tractor trailer was blown
over on I-35 just north of the Missouri border, and another was blown
over on Iowa-14, just south of Newton, IA. Finally, the mile-long
bridge across the Saylorville Dam, just northwest of DesMoines, IA, was
closed for forty-five minutes because the bridge was swaying heavily
in the gusty winds.

Quiet and seasonable weather prevailed for much of the final
week of January. Just prior to the end of the month, however, a
powerhouse storm system barreled through
the Midwest on January 28-29 (Figure 8),
bringing copious rain and
thunderstorms to parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan,
and Kentucky,
while snowy conditions were found further north across extreme northern
Minnesota,
and Wisconsin. Snowfall values were generally on the light side,
between 2 and 4 inches, with a maximum in the lee of Lake Superior
greater than 5 inches (Figure 9). Moderate rain fell across Missouri and Illinois (Figure 10)
during the daylight hours on the 28th, and this area of rain headed
east and north into Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio on the 29th (Figure 11). A large area of the Midwest saw over 0.50" of rain from this storm system (Figure 12), and much of it fell across the drought stricken areas of eastern Iowa and northern Illinois.

Winter Warmth Continues to Set New Records

The last week of January saw more record high maximum
temperatures (and high minimum temperatures) than any week yet this
month! The following table clearly demonstrates the expanse and
magnitude of the warmth across the Midwest this week:

January 26

Kansas City, MO

67°F

66°F, 2002

Preston, MN

51°F tie

51°F, 1973

January 27

Duluth, MN

42°F

39°F, 1989

LaCrosse, WI

54°F tie

54°F, 2002

Marquette, MI

49°F

37°F, 1989

International Falls, MN

44°F

43°F, 1989

Eau Claire, WI

50°F

45°F, 2002

Wisconsin Rapids, WI

53°F

52°F, 2002

Appleton, WI

52°F

43°F, 1947

Oshkosh, WI

52°F

51°F, 2002

Stevens Point, WI

52°F

51°F, 2002

Green Bay, WI

51°F

46°F, 2002

Decorah, IA

54°F

48°F, 1944

Duluth, MN

30°F (high minimum)

28°F, 1944

Rochester, MN

31°F (high minimum)

30°F, 1968

Green Bay, WI

33°F tie (high minimum)

33°F, 1934

Des Moines, IA

42°F (high minimum)

38°F, 1934

January 28

Moline, IL

41°F (high minimum)

35°F, 1930

January 29

Moline, IL

37°F (high minimum)

36°F, 1989

Antigo, WI

28°F (high minimum)

25°F, 1931

Green Bay, WI

33°F (high minimum)

29°F, 1892

Manitowoc, WI

32°F tie (high minimum)

32°F, 1911

Marshfield, WI

29°F tie (high minimum)

29°F, 1983

Merrill, WI

30°F (high minimum)

27°F, 1931

Oshkosh, WI

34°F (high minimum)

32°F, 1917

Rhinelander, WI

27°F (high minimum)

25°F, 1932

Stevens Point, WI

34°F (high minimum)

30°F, 1931

Sturgeon Bay, WI

32°F (high minimum)

31°F, 1917

Wisconsin Rapids, WI

31°F (high minimum)

30°F, 1931

Flint, MI

52°F

47°F, 1975

Waterloo, IA

33°F (high minimum)

32°F, 1989

Des Moines, IA

36°F (high minimum)

36°F, 1927

Where is the cold air? Will it spill into the
Midwest during the first week of February? Find out in
next week's edition of the Midwest Climate Watch.